MARTIN O'Neill has paid tribute to Patrik Berger and insisted he wants to talk to the ex-Czech Republic playmaker about a new contract.

MARTIN O'Neill has paid tribute to Patrik Berger and insisted he wants to talk to the ex-Czech Republic playmaker about a new contract.

Substitute Berger rolled back the years against Everton with a display that the Villa Park crowd have rarely seen since the departure of Paul Merson.

It was thought he was ready to move to Major League Soccer in the United States in the summer when his contract is up but O'Neill appears ready to discuss a possible extension.

Berger has come in from the cold after being sent to Stoke on loan last November for refusing to play for the reserves.

But O'Neill has been impressed with his attitude on and off the pitch since.

He said: "I do not have time here to be holding any grudges with people and I've no time to be sentimental either.

"I will certainly be speaking to him. This is as fit as he has been now for a couple of seasons.

"He laboured here last year. He was never fit and I am sure he was thinking of packing in. This is the best it has been and yet he hasn't started a league game for us. But his contribution was there to see."

Berger played for 45 minutes against Everton and so rare have been his appearances that O'Neill can vividly remember him playing 46 minutes at Stamford Bridge in November.

"Chelsea was the longest he has played in a game this season when he came on for Gareth Barry a minute before half-time," said O'Neill. "It is my job to have a good memory!"

For his part Berger is hoping that his form could hand him a first league start at Blackburn and he says Villa badly need a victory to banish any chance of relegation.

He said: "I would say it is better to be five points ahead of the bottom three rather than five points behind but we are looking over our shoulders now because it is not that much. It is only basically two games.

"If we approach the rest of the season as we did the second half against Everton, we should be all right but we have to perform."